Interview - Fatale

Fatale - July 2026

Photo by Brian Sweeney

With thanks to PANINARO

Ahead of the release of their debut, vinyl only, EP entitled Saint Mungo, I caught up with Fatale guitarist and songwriter Christopher Jollie to find out how things are going. 

Fatale only played their first gig back in May 2025 and have had quite a year since! A recent highlight being airplay for their song Jesus Christ on 6Music, BBC Radio Scotland and Amazing Radio. 

Read on for reflections, producers, guitar pedals and sounds, plans, gigs Chris has been to and what he is listening to - including a playlist.

Look out for a blog on Fatale's Saint Mungo EP at the start of August.

Visit Fatales linktr.ee for news on forthcoming gigs and to sign up for their enewsletter.

It's been a year since we first spoke for this blog. How has it been for you and the band? Any personal highlights? 

Fatale - June 2025 Introducing blog and interview

It’s been a blur honestly, from the first gig selling out McChuills, to kicking off the new year with a sold out King Tut’s, everything’s just fallen into place. Tut’s felt like a real shift for everyone. The walk from the State Bar into the back entry felt like a scene from a coming of age film. We’ve had a lot of help along the way from a great team of people around us which has helped massively too.

How has your songwriting and the sound (and performance) of the band developed in that time?

Young folk aren’t getting handed any hope just now, and I think - subconsciously or not - the songs have always reflected a refusal to accept that you have to live accordingly. Songwriting wise, I’ve found a more distinct identity in the lyrics, but the music is always the first port of call. We’ve all come along a great deal in musicianship, and the live & studio performances are evidence of this.

Christopher - King Tuts, January 2026

How important for you is it to get your songs out into the world on vinyl?

Ever since our first gig, we’ve wanted to have songs out. Looking back now, we’re all glad we’ve held off. To have an EP full of songs we wouldn’t change for the world is a beautiful feeling and the first time we lay our hands on the record will be emotional.

Any plans to release digitally for now?

There’s currently nothing in the works to release these tracks on streaming, which is all the more incentive to get the record.

What was the recording process like for you guys? How important was it to find the right producer?

We recorded Moves You four times before it ever felt right, which proves the importance of the right producer. Chris McCrory is full of ideas and gets the music. As soon as we decided to do the EP to tape, the live energy came across as if we were playing to the Barras.

Recording was surreal. We’ve sat with these songs for some time, so to have them realised was a beautiful experience. Hearing the songs back, out the blaring speakers, made us realise we had a proper record on our hands.

The guitar sounds are fantastic, super warm and feel natural. Did it you have to work hard to find that sound, or did it all happen quite quickly and organically?

Feedback and overdrive make our hearts race, so that’s always been at the core of the sound. My guitar rig on the record consists of a cheap Jazzmaster, a Vox AC15, and an OCD pedal. Kevin Shields read and weep. Euan, on the other hand, was far more adventurous. I shall pass my phone to Euan for his rundown.

Euan - Thank you Chris. My rig on the record was what the boys would describe as prog, which in reality is 5 pedals. I used a Fulltone boost pedal that the Fanclub use, cranked to the max, to get a natural distortion from my Vox AC15. Sorry if this is too nerdy. Also, a random VHS reverb and an MXR delay are very important to my lead tones. I think what I learned though, is that it’s really important to get the dynamics on the guitar, and on the EP it’s basically a lot of hitting the strings as hard as possible.

Fatale - Chris and Euan

Photo by Brian Sweeney

With thanks to PANINARO

Are you planning a return to the recording studio any time soon?

We’re trying to get the time to go in with a few cool people, but we’re just focused on getting as many new songs, which are coming faster than ever. They’re feeling like an evolution from Saint Mungo which is always good.

What do you have coming up in the months ahead?

We’ve got a few multi venue festivals lined up for October which should be a good laugh. The next year will be focused on getting us a good deal of live shows, with the intention of getting ourselves in front of as many people as possible.

Been to any good gigs lately?

Geese were a standout. The lights, the Primal’s cover, the band, all phenomenal. Westside Cowboy (pictured below), who we caught at TRNSMT, were another magical experience, helped by coming out to the The Concept. Ended up chatting to them after the gig about all the bands we were into, which was surreal. The next time we’ll be in the Barra’s green room it’ll be ours, hopefully.

Jacob Alon is one of Scotland’s finest just now, so ethereal and inspiring. Seeing them at TRNSMT, backed by a great band, was enough to make you reconsider whether you should even bother making music. Brogeal, our mates, played two raucous nights at the Art School earlier this year which we all enjoyed. Radhika with The Cords and Stone Anthem at Mono was another fantastic show.

Outside of that, the Cabbage, and the bands that are associated, have all made us proud to be a part of it all. Bogle, The Floor Dwellers, Lupercalia, Supersun (self indulgent of me, I know), and The Violets, are all some of the most exciting bands coming out of Scotland just now.

What are you listening to at present?

I’ve been listening to a lot of Sebadoh as of late. Soul and Fire is such a beautifully written song. There’s also a fantastic cover of the Velvet’s Heroin, by Thurston Moore & Bobby Gillespie that I stumbled upon recently, which has made a walk down Buchanan Street into something else entirely. We made up a playlist (Saint Mungo's Star Children) full of the songs that inspired the making of the record which is linked on the website. As a last aside, I’ve got really into 60’s French Pop, Roller Girl by Anna Karina (video below) being a standout.

Fatale at McChuills

Fatale played their first ever headline show at McChuills on Friday night - Halloween. As singer Ben Robertson pointed out when thanking everyone for coming, it felt like the band had come full circle. McChuills was where they played their first gig, back in May. Now, just shy of 6-months later, they had sold it out.

After playing King Tuts Summer Nights in July, a venture through to Edinburgh in September and then Tenement Trail in October, it definitely feels like Fatale are on the rise.

Tenement Trail was great, but this was the best I have seen the band. A headline slot gave them longer to play with, so a packed McChuills was treated to a 45-minute, 11-song set.

Making the most of the screen behind the stage, Fatale came on and fuzzed up their guitars for opening number September. The visuals of logos behind them added to the vibe and a hyped up, dressed up Halloween crowd were well up for it. There was a definite sense of occasion to the night.

The Vaselines Molly's Lips was played next and they tore through it, Robertson was in the crowd at times, bouncing a-long with them. Another Sunrise, with the brilliant hook I'm going out tonight, is becoming more familiar to me with every gig. Definite future single potential.

Speaking of hooks and single potential, new song By The Tide is another that I look forward to hearing again soon. The hook I don't care about what's going on is one I would have loved to have sung as a teenager, but it feels just as relevant to me now. 

A cover of the Mary Chain's Taste of Cindy was a glorious riot. Scuzzed and fuzzed up guitars. Top marks to the couple (pictured below - parents of Adam from support band Bogle) dressed as Jesus and Mary Chained! 

Bogle were on first and their set mixed songs that sounded like early Pink Floyd with songs that sounded like the early Ride EP's. They can play! I'm way more into Ride than Floyd, so those songs were my personal favourites. I really enjoyed their dreamy shoegazey guitars and harmonies. I'll hopefully write a blog on them sometime soon. Their debut EP Shimmer Guitar Pop was aptly named. Also hailing from Lanarkshire, I hope to catch them again soon.

Speaking of Jesus Christ, Fatale singer Ben Robertson had been wandering around dressed as Christ (or now I come to think of it - was he Caesar?)  earlier. He had changed into stagewear for the show but kept his crown of thorns on. I assumed it was Christ because of Fatale's brilliant song Jesus Christ - a song that left its mark on me after I first heard it back at their Tuts show in the summer.

The guitars of Euan and Christopher collide gloriously, there are more hooks than Rocky Bilbao fighting at his peak. Most bands would love to have the verses to this tunes as choruses! The bridges/pre-chorus are even catchier and then there is the chorus itself;

Jesus Christ knocked on my door

Just let me sleep ten minutes more

Coming out with songs of praise

Righteousness lost in the haze

With Han Solo (James) driving things along furiously and beautifully on drums and bassist Oscar in the groove, this is a delicious slice of guitar punk pop. 

How could I hold my head up when you're down

How can I stand the world when you're not around

The little fuzz bass break after the middle eight is superb. Then it's straight back into the chorus for a final blast. Think God Knows It's True era Fanclub meeting The Undertones for a couple of pints of Guinness and then having a jam. Catchy guitar brilliance.

Ending with their (fast becoming) traditional one-two of their demos (CHECK THEM HERE) and currently the only material they have released.

I'd never have thought that The Velvets Femme Fatale would become a sing-a-long anthem for teenagers in 2025, but Fatale are making it one! Their (largely young) crowd lapped it up.

Ben announced that set closed Moves You will be released as their debut single in the very near future. The band tore through it, slowing things beautifully for a breakdown. 

Understand what I'm going through, tried to paint, but it's never you

Understand what I'm going through, tried to paint, but it's never you

It's never you

After another chorus and searing and soaring guitar solo, it's back into the groove with a verse and the catchy hook that is the chorus.  

Keep an eye on Fatale's Instagram for updates.

The Boy Hairdressers

Blake, McGinley, Lambie, McDonald and McAlinden

The Boy Hairdressers were a short lived band from Glasgow who counted Norman Blake, Raymond McGinley, Francis McDonald (all Teenage Fanclub), Joe McAlinden (Superstar/Linden) and Jim Lambie (contemporary artist) as their members. Paul Quinn (Teenage Fanclub) also played some shows.

Blake, McDonald, McAlinden 

The band released their only recordings via Stephen Pastel's seminal 53rd and 3rd label in January 1988. The 3-track 12-inch consisted of A; Golden Shower, B; Tidalwave, B2; The Assumption As An Elevator.

The Boy Hairdressers and their sole release have taken on something as a cult status - given what the members went on to achieve. The recordings (rough and raw, but made with love) are a glimpse of a band developing - not really quite there with their sound/style.

Golden Shower is easily the best song on the record and was shown some love and appreciation when Teenage Fanclub covered/revisited the song when they played The Barrowland in 2022. High pitched harmonies over sparse acoustic guitar start the song. Then, after a brief pause, bass, drums and keys/vibrophone/flute bring things to life. I'm pretty sure Raymond used some of his guitar work in other songs. 

Tidal Wave is like a mock English folk song. I imagine it might sound better as an Irish folk song. Although under two-minutes long, I'm pretty glad when it's finished. I'm not a fan of this one.

On the final song, The Assumption As An Elevator, I find myself asking who is singing. Is it Norman? I like the outro, with some nice guitar noodling from Raymond, while Jim Lambie creates Velvets-y effects.

When you read some quotes from interviews Norman gave following the break up of The Boy Hairdressers, it's no surprise to find him highlighting his relief that his new band (Teenage Fanclub) is just me ... being me. 

Teenage Fanclub cover an 80's band at the Barrowland

Given that The Boy Hairdressers brief existence was in a pre-internet, pre-mobiles and pre (easily available/affordable) video camera era, there is extremely limited information about the band online.

However ... I did some digging and uncovered interviews, fanzines, photos, (hazy) fan memories and stories from band members, those around the band and fans who caught The Boy Hairdressers and very early Teenage Fanclub.

Photos by Andrew Turner

Horse & Groom pub, Bedford, 17th October 1987

Norman and Raymond were interviewed in a Pastelism fanzine just after they started Teenage Fanclub. Perhaps this section of the Q&A between Stephen and Norman speaks volumes about why Blake broke away with Raymond to form Teenage Fanclub

Patelism: It seems The Boy Hairdressers were just getting a fair amount of interest and then you split up. So what happened?

Norman: The thing about The Boy Hairdressers was that no-one was really motivated to do anything. We were very badly organised ... it ended up that only me and Raymond were putting any effort in. ...

Pastelism (on the song Golden Shower): Do you think it was all a bit naive, all that sex and smutty innuendo stuff? 

Norman: Aye, I'm a bit embarrassed by it now. It was a bit stupid.

Later in the interview;

Norman: ... the new stuff (TFC) reflects more of what we are really about. We feel much more comfortable with Teenage Fanclub ... it's just (me) being me.

In 2021, Raymond and Norman spoke with Ed Nash for a brilliant interview, in The Line Of Best Fit reflecting back on pivotal moments in Teenage Fanclub.

Here is what they had to say about The Boy Hairdressers;

Norman: The Boy Hairdressers had fizzled out and Raymond and myself were the two people left standing. We'd put out a 12 inch on Stephen Pastel's label (53rd & 3rd), so we'd had a taste of what that was like. We wanted to move on and put an album out as soon as we could.

Raymond: People knew who the band were, but it wasn't like we did a lot. We put out one single and played a handful of shows. We were really frustrated by that and once the Boy Hairdressers finished we had this idea that we wanted to make a record before we started talking about what the band was.

Norman: We had a number of songs we planned to work on and that we'd played at the latter end of the Boy Hairdressers. We wanted to do stuff rather than talk about it, so we thought 'Let's put an album out, let's just go for it,' but we couldn't afford to do that. Now you've got Pro Tools on a computer, but a Portastudio was state of the art then. The embryonic part of A Catholic Education was us sat in Raymond's flat recording these very basic demos on a Portastudio. That's where it all started for Teenage Fanclub.

Both of these interviews, although short, probably tell you all you need to know about The Boy Hairdressers. They had fun and a bit of a laugh, played a few gigs, got some attention, put out a record but didn't quite gel and different members of the band perhaps had other priorities/options. 

Raymond and Norman took a few songs into Teenage Fanclub, including Don't Need A Drum and Too Involved, with Raymond funding the recording of debut album A Catholic Education after being left some kitchen appliances (including a fridge) by a neighbour. Check a previous blog on the Fanclub debut HERE

You can listen to The Boy Hairdressers 4-track demo of Don't Need A Drum below. You can instantly hear the move away from the sound of the debut EP - this is cooler and more assured - even as a 4-track recording. This, as highlighted in Norman's interview above, is really a Teenage Fanclub demo. 

Other demos that fans have mentioned (but are currently unavailable online) include Saliva (that went on to become Too Involved) a song called either Flying Helmet or Magic Helmet and a Norman song that BMX Bandits recorded - Let Mother Nature Be Your Guide - LISTEN

I asked a few people in, involved with or around The Boy Hairdressers for some information and (hazy) memories. 

Photo by Kaori Laird

Paul Quinn: It wasn't until I turned up to do the first gig I played with them that I realised Joe McAlinden and Jim Lambie were also in the band! That show was at The Volcano at the bottom of Byres Road where the club scene was filmed for Trainspotting. The 2nd show was at Fury Murry's. After the show, I was asked by Raymond and Norman about what I was planning to do and I stupidly said I was going to continue playing with the guys from Bellshill I was in a band with. I had my reasons for that decision. However, it was a stupid decision as The Boy Hairdressers didn't last long after that. They both went on to form Teenage Fanclub. 

Andrew Turner: It was my brother Nigel who promoted the Bedford (photos from the Horse & Groom above) gig way back in 1987. Norman still remembers the occasion with a certain amount of fondness - he even held up a photo of said gig during the recent (August 2025) Teenage Fanclub show in Bedford.

Duncan Birrell

Pretty sure I caught them live, I think one time may have been on a two-night charity gig for Shelter in Glasgow around 1987 at the old Volcano, at the end of Byres Road. I think the Groovy Little Numbers and The Bandits played one of those nights too - using a lager can as a guitar slide. Heady days!

Joe McAlinden

A review from our first gig. Raymond hadn't joined but was watching in the audience.

Photos from Joe's personal collection

Kevin Francis

Saw them at ULU bottom of the bill below Dinosaur Jr and Primal Scream. All I remember is that someone was sitting down, possibly Norman and there was one song that started with A Capella Beach Boys style harmonies. I loved it!

Brendan O'Hare

They were all from another planet.

Kaori Laird: The voice saying Boy Hairdresser in Japanese at the beginning of the Teenage Fanclub song Speeder - is my voice! It was recorded at Norman's Granny's house. 

After Boy Hairdressers there were rumours circulating that Norman was already working on a new band - who would become Teenage Fanclub. I asked Norman what they would be called and he said Black Watch or Old Grandfather Clock. I knew he was not serious, but it was so Norman (isn't it?).

Fraser Gillespie

The Boy Hairdresser was a terrible novel by Joe Orton and Kenneth Halliwell. I saw them at least twice in Glasgow and also Norman's previous band The Faith Healers. Their keyboard player, Jim Lambie, did posters and filmed for Splash 1. He went on to become a very successful artist. I have a demo of Saliva which became the TFC song Too Involved - was that The Boy Hairdressers? I saw the very first TFC London gig at the Camden Falcon. It was obvious that they were going to be successful.

Graeme Williams

I saw them live supporting The Pastels at The Boardwalk in Manchester - was a great night, quite the shambolic gig to use a well worn trope, but you could tell they had something special. I have the ticket stub still somewhere.

Steph Wood

I put them on once and they slept on my floor - I still occasionally find one of those round blue Golden Showers stickers when I pull a random record out of it's sleeve ...

Antonio Navarro Ros

In Pastelism fanzine appears the first Teenage Fanclub interview ever and Norman and Raymond talk about the disband of The Boy Hairdressers. Here is the link (also see above)

Fatale at King Tuts

Driving home from King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut last night, I felt genuinely elated. I had a proper buzz. There were a few reasons for the good feeling, but most of all, I’d just discovered my new favourite young band - Fatale. I was kind of getting used to thinking those days might be over.

I had already fallen for them after hearing their demo of original song Moves You and a cover of The Velvets Femme Fatale that inspired their choice of name. The demo prompted me to reach out to the band for a short interview that you can check HERE,

Other reasons behind my elation were;

• Seeing Tuts rammed with young people in search of, and supporting, new music. The downstairs bar was mobbed and it was clear that most of them were there to see Fatale. The upstairs venue had to open the section by the sounddesk for Fatale coming on.
• Loads of cool kids in cool clothes with cool haircuts. A nice mix of 60's and 90's fashion. Part of me felt old, part of me felt excited to be around it. The energy and enthusiasm of youth is infectious.
• Meeting a cool young journalism student who said they read my blog!
• Teenagers being inspired by and getting into Scottish indie guitar bands (and the likes of T-Rex and The Velvets) that I discovered when I was a teenager.
• Reminiscing about good times in King Tuts over the years. Here is a blog I wrote about 25 of them on Tuts 25th anniversary.

Fatale were onstage at 9.15pm and they played a 30-minute set of energetic guitar pop. Less than a handful of gigs old as a band, they displayed all the kind of raw energy and potential that excites me as a music fan.

Arriving to cheers, the band plugged in and were off, playing a 7-song set to cheers and pogo-ing. A scuzzy cover of T-Rex's Life's A Gas was an early highlight with some of the crowd singing the refrain, while their own song Another Sunrise told of the desire to go out and have fun.

Fatale look the part too. There are some fantastic haircuts (or lack of) across the band, while I found myself debating whether guitarist Chris in his vintage Captain America (the band) long sleeve t-shirt, or drummer James - sporting a retro AC Milan top with Kaka's name and number on the back - had the coolest top! Shout out to singer Ben for also wearing a BMX Bandits T.

Captain America/Eugenius are a clear and evident influence on the band, scuzzy and fuzzy guitar sounds mixed with chimes, and catchy melodic vocal hooks. 

Fatale's song Jesus Christ is the catchiest guitar pop song I've heard in a long time and I hope they get to record it before too long. Their cover of The Velvets Femme Fatale was glorious, with singer Ben's voice sounding superb. The band stretched it out a little with the call and response at the end.

Closing with the aforementioned Moves You, echo-ing the delights of early Teenage Fanclub, Fatale generated a huge reaction from the crowd. 

It's going to be really interesting to see how Fatale develop over the next year or so. It's still very early days. Keep an eye on their Instagram for demos/show announcements.

Instagram

Soundcloud

Introducing - Fatale

What is it about you Uddy (Uddingston) boys and The Velvet Underground?

Back in mid-April, my friend Derek sent me a cryptic WhatsApp message, and then followed it up with soundcloud links to a young teenage band called Fatale . Del had produced and engineered demos for two songs; Moves You and a cover of The Velvets Femme Fatale.

Fatale soundcloud

Del was excited enough to also post in the Teenage Fanclub Fanclub Facebook group with the statement  - If you like Catholic Education era Teenage Fanclub then you'll love Fatale.

Fatale, as you might have guessed from Derek's comparisons, love electric guitars that crash, collide, chime, blur, reverberate and fuzz together in the glorious way that I have loved for over 3 decades.

Hailing from my home town of Uddingston (on the outskirts of Glasgow), I was determined to find out more about this young band that seem to be bursting with talent, taste, looks, great hair (I found out upon meeting them), energy and enthusiasm.

Moves You is the first song that they have released. The overdriven guitars are fired up beautifully, there is a sublime dreamy breakdown, before they burst back into life. Vocally, this is pure So Far Gone/God Knows It's True era Fanclub, raw and soulful harmonies, young romantic lyrics sung from the heart.

Would you find a price for all the stars that shine on you?

Meanwhile, their cover of Femme Fatale is gorgeously raw and warm, sounding like a lost Fanclub cover they recorded for Bandwagonesque era b-sides.

I caught up with guitarist Christopher Jollie to find out more in the interview below. It was also great to bump into the whole band after the BMX Bandits show on Friday night. During the gig they stood to the side, shaking their heads in time and singing-along, Chris wearing a Eugenius t-shirt. They looked like a real gang, tight friends, a band. 

I can't wait to see them live. Read on for info about how they formed, influences, writing and news about their next gig.

1. How did the band form? Where are you all from? How did you get to know each other?

Our singer Ben and lead guitarist Euan are cousins and both of them had came out of playing with other bands. Myself and our bassist Oscar had been school friends with Ben and had played in a drumless, gigless band just before Fatale. A total shambles. Euan and our drummer James had also been school pals but had never played in a band together. 

From James perspective Euan was playing songs with his wee cousin (he thought he was nine) and wanted him to drum with them. When we show up at his garage for a jam, to his surprise there’s three eighteen year old's with guitars. The band just took off from there.

2. How did you start creating music together? Does anyone take the lead on writing? Or do you jam ideas?

We started off with acoustic demos recorded by Ben and Euan, and built up from there. It’s a collaborative process we go for, with everyone coming in with their own songs, and fleshing them out in practice. I’d always hated showing folk my own songs, but I had Moves You as a demo on my phone from months before and tried to show it to the guys. I had to do that another twice before we sort of took it seriously as a song, and now we’re in the process of getting it recorded and produced. We do have very diverse influences, which allows us to do different things with each song.

3. What kind of music are you listening to at present? Have any bands influenced you?

I was just at the Barras seeing Dinosaur Jr. and wow. They’ve always been a band that I’m just in awe of. I’ve been listening to a lot of soul music and bands like Big Star, the Kinks. Apart from that I’ve been getting dead into Eugenius, who had sort of passed me by when I was discovering the Fanclub. Scottish music has shaped our sound unlike anything else. There’s just something inside a lot of Scottish bands that just can’t be replicated. We are very keen to keep that sort of thing going.

4. How did you get on playing McChuills at the start of May?

McChuills was our first gig together, and it was a sellout. We were opening for a very good Irish band, The Labourers, and playing alongside our good pals, Bogle, as part of the Vicar Street Social night. We were originally scheduled to play a Sunday Soundclash on the 4th of May but due to the football it was cancelled. 

That had left us without a gig until July, but thankfully our mate Ben Brown managed to pull some strings and get us a spot on VSS thanks to a demo recorded by Derek McKee. We played 7 songs, including covers of the Scream’s Velocity Girl and the Velvet’s Femme Fatale. Our closer, Moves You ended up getting played twice since we didn’t have another song and the crowd were wanting more. I had already plugged out my guitar when Ben tells me we’re replaying it. You can’t plan for the energy in the room, and everything came so naturally.

5. What do you have coming up in terms of gigs, recording and releasing?

Our next gig is a part of King Tut’s Summer Nights Festival. We’re opening for a band we know called The Violet’s on Sunday 20th July, so it should be another great night. TICKETS

We’re also looking at our options for getting Moves You recorded and released in the next month or two, to keep the excitement going. Del done a great job of our demo so we’ll be looking towards him for potentially recording some covers to put out over the summer. We’re also in the early stages of setting up a once or twice a month event, looking at platforming the sound of young Glasgow. It’s exciting times for us, but it’s just the start of something that we truly believe in.

Shack at Saint Luke's Glasgow

As someone who has been attending gigs in Glasgow for over 30-years, you kind of know when you're witnessing something special. Last night was special. Grown men shed tears as they watched brothers Michael and John Head perform together as Shack, the legendary Liverpool band that emerged from the ashes of The Pale Fountains, played the wonderful Saint Luke's in the East End of Glasgow. 

Shack have reunited for a quartet of shows in Liverpool, Glasgow, Manchester and London. Their first shows since 2010.

Gerry Love played a beautiful stripped back show in support. Playing as a 3-piece with Noel O'Donnell on acoustic guitar and harmonies, and Tom Crossley on keys, effects and xylophone, the trio delivered some gorgeous dreamy versions of songs that included Sweetness In Her Spark, Star Sign, Don't Look Back and Ain't That Enough. Gerry also played a new song that I've heard a few times over the last couple of years, a tantalising glimpse from his long awaited album.

Star Sign was particularly stunning with Gerry using a phaser pedal for a lovely warm psychedelic fuzz feeling. I hope someone captured this.

On to Shack!

I don't think I have ever seen Saint Luke's so busy. There was a heady sense of anticipation as people crammed in to every nook and cranny. Thankfully we had got in early to secure a space upstairs on the balcony, to Michael Head's left. 

What a band. The rhythm section were super tight and cool. Peter Wilkinson (who joined at the age of 19 , has also played with Echo and the Bunnymen and was a founder member of (and is still in) Cast) on bass, holding it all together, keeping the groove. Ian Skelly (The Coral) on drums was super light and loose, cracking his snare when he needed to inject some extra pace, or change the timing, something that Shack (much like their heroes Love) can do with style and ease. Skelly is new to the band, original drummer Iain Templeton died in 2022. 

John Head was on lead guitar, often a gorgeous red semi acoustic, and he made it look easy. Playing fluid and melodic lines and riffs, bending strings at times, shaking his guitar for extra effect at others. 

Michael (Mick) Head was on acoustic rhythm and from our vantage point (almost directly) above I got a brilliant view of his unique style. No plectrum. Using his thumb on the downstroke and either picking on the up, or using 2 or 3 fingers for extra effect. Sometimes he almost banged his strings like percussion. 

As a (very amateur in comparison!) guitar player, I was pretty enthralled by both. They never looked to be playing anything too complex, but it sounded majestic. The way electric and acoustic combine is a sound I'll never tire of. 

Nathaniel Laurence (who plays with Mick in his Red Elastic Band) flushed out the sound, standing behind Wilkinson and adding extra deft touches/effects or rhythm to the Head brothers guitars. 

The 5-piece became 6 at times when they were joined by a Martin Smith on trumpet. Smith may well have been having a better time than anyone else in the room! When he wasn't playing, he was dancing and singing at the back of the stage. It was so lovely to watch.

So what made last night so special. What makes Shack so special?

Well, the songs, the storytelling, the twists and turns in the structure and timing, the hooks and the way that Michael Head’s voice, that natural mix of weariness and melody connects with people.

Add in the fact that the band are super tight ... it was magical. They really connected with the audience and took them on a wonderful trip through highlights from their catalogue, with some of the instrumental sections sounding like heaven - psychedelic and shimmering.

Meant To Be was euphoric, with the passionate crowd (a joyful mix of Glaswegians and Scousers) singing-a-long to the trumpet in the instrumental section, things then slow and soar as they come out of it, there is a sublime example of the acoustic and electric combining.

Jamer's on the run

Shooting stuff for fun

All in all his melody

Comedy was my song of the night, it bursts into life and feels so natural, so uplifting and beautiful. I'd played it in the car earlier on and my 77-year old Mum loved it! 

It's a great song on record, but live, it goes to another level. The whole room sang the hook along with Mick and it was incredible. Emotional.

When you cry it pulls me through

Streets of Kenny was emotionally charged and then Shack came back on for an encore of Love's A House Is Not A Motel. that was just perfect, as their sound owes so much to their love of Love.

Surely Shack will announce a bigger Autumn tour! 

I hope so.

Dream Baby Dream

 

Trust me #69

Dream Baby Dream by Suicide

Released as a single back in 1979, Dream Baby Dream still sounds futuristic thanks to the songs fresh, dreamy, urgent, yet gentle feel. It's beautiful, sublime, vital music that goes straight to my heart. 

Riding in on a drum machine and keyboard/organ with a xylophone effect, the two-piece band of Martin Rev and Alan Vega conjure up something truly majestic. It never fails to captivate me, to stop me in my tracks, only for me to then press play again. 

Stretching out to 6-minutes 20 seconds, there is a lot of time and space to get lost in, to drift in, to dream in. The groove is consistent, but just seems to change slightly. It sounds like the duo hit record and captured it live, helping with the soul and timeless quality the song bursts with.

Yeah, those dreams keep you free baby

Yeah you gotta make those dreams come true

Keep them dreams burnin' baby

Keep them dreams burning forever

Dream baby, dream baby

Alan Vega makes me want to go to bed early and dream. Quite an effect! At times, it sounds like the groove is having that impact on him too, like he is drifting off. Sometimes he just stops as if lost in the music, at other times he is almost mumbling as if falling asleep and dreaming.

Truly gorgeous, I hope you enjoy this song if you've never heard it before, or that you love revisiting it if you haven't listened in a while.

Dream Baby Dream is added to my Trust Me playlist; search for Everything Flows - Trust Me on Spotify or CLICK HERE 

Check below for all previous blogs in my Trust Me series.

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Previous Trust Me blogs

1. Something On Your Mind by Karen Dalton

1A. Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells

2. I Am, I Said  by Neil Diamond

3. Where's The Playground Susie?   by Glen Campbell

4. If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lighfoot

5. Gimme Some Truth by John Lennon

6. Gone With The Wind Is My Love by Rita and the Tiaras

7. In The Year 2525 by Zager and Evans

8. The Music Box by Ruth Copeland

9. The Ship Song by Nick Cave

10. Sometimes by James

11. I Walk The Earth by King Biscuit Time

12. Didn't Know What I Was In For by Better Oblivion Community Centre

13. When My Boy Walks Down The Street by The Magnetic Fields

14. The Man Don't Give A F**k by Super Furry Animals

15. All Flowers In Time Bend Towards The Sun by Jeff Buckley and Liz Fraser

16. Are You Lookin' by The Tymes

17. A Real Hero by College & Electric Youth

18. Feelings Gone by Callum Easter

19. Sunday Morning by The Velvet Underground

20. Did I Say by Teenage Fanclub

21. Don't Look Back by Teenage Fanclub

22. Your Love Is The Place Where I Come From by Teenage Fanclub

23. Belfast by Orbital

24. Clouds by The Jayhawks

25. Dreaming Of You by The Coral

26. Everlasting Love by Love Affair

27. Walk Away Renee by The Left Banke

28. Teenage Kicks by The Undertones

29. Shaky Ground by Sneeze

29. Rill Rill by Sleigh Bells

30. I Can Feel Your Love by Felice Taylor

31. The State We're In by The Chemical Brothers w/ Beth Orton

32. Sunshine After The Rain by Ellie Greenwich

33. Losing My Edge by LCD Soundsystem

34. Mondo 77 by Looper

35. Les Fleurs by Minnie Riperton

36. Rat Trap by The Boomtown Rats

37. How High by The Charlatans

38. I Can't Let Go by Evie Sands

39. Pop Song 89 by R.E.M.

40. Summertime Clothes by Animal Collective

41. There She Goes by The Las

42. We're Going To Be Friends by White Stripes

43. Autumn Sweater by Yo La Tengo

44. Sister Rena by Lomond Campbell

45. Revolution by The Beatles

46. Lazarus by The Boo Radleys

47. Wrote For Luck by Happy Mondays

48. American Trilogy by The Delgados

49. Loser by Beck 

50. Silent Sigh by Badly Drawn Boy

51. Comedy by Shack

52. Take The Skinheads Bowling by Camper Van Beethoven

53. Freakscene by Dinosaur Jr

54. Thank You For Being You by The Pastels

55. I Think I'm In Love by Spiritualized

56. Chestnut Mare by The Byrds

57. Cannonball by The Breeders

58. Like A Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan

59. You Make Me Weak At The Knees by Electrelane

60. Lucky by Radiohead

61. Strange Currencies by R.E.M.

61. I Am The Cosmos by Chris Bell

62. Like A Ship (Without A Sail) by Pastor TL Barrett and the Youth for Christ Choir

63. Nothing But A Heartache by The Flirtations

64. Made of Stone by The Stone Roses

65. Tonight In Belfast by Orbital, David Holmes, DJ Helen and Mike Garry

66. Anything by Adrianne Lenker

67. I Hold Something In My Hand by Bill Ryder-Jones

68. I Meant Every Word by Burnett Sisters

Easy Money EP by Homework

Back in December 2023 I blogged on Homework, a new young guitar band from Glasgow. I then listed them as one of my '5 to watch' in 2024.

They've been busy! Playing a show at King Tuts in January and following that up with an EP launch party at The Hug and Pint at the end of March. Annoyingly, both dates clashed with other gigs I already had tickets for. I hope to see them live soon!

Easy Money is their second 3-track EP featuring the songs; Dummy Run, How Can You and Marina Bay Sands.

Santiago, Michael, Lizzie and Andrew describe their sound as 'volatile, loping fuzz pop, as much informed by a lifelong devotion to indie rock dieties like Pavement and Teenage Fanclub as it is by the shoddy acoustics of budget practice spaces and temperamental gear.'

In other words - right up my street!

Dummy Run sounds like running in the sunshine while overdosing on sugar, glorious guitars for almost 50-seconds before the vocals come in I'm in no hurry. Homework definitely go at their own pace! By the time hit the chorus the guitars and vocal melody are tripping over each other beautifully.

How Can You is more like running through golden leaves on an Autumn day. The vibe is a little more chilled and the melodies continue to tumble out effortlessly, how can you caress every drop of the rain?

Marina Bay Sands is lovingly described by the bands label Gold Mold Records (the EP is out on ltd edition cassette and all the usual streaming/download sites) as imagining Gerard Love on Matador. I'd say it could be a long lost Pavement and Fanclub collboration. Again, the guitars sound sublime, while the melodies and harmonies are typically playful.

Each song has been written by a different band member. Homework sound fresh, vibrant, fun and exciting and I can't wait to (finally) see them and hear what they release next.

I have heard they'll be playing soon ...

Introducing The Cords

One night last year, my phone repeatedly pinged with a series of WhatsApp message from my sister Carla, who had started doing some work at The Rig Arts Centre in Greenock. Carla's constant pings told me about how she had begun mentoring a young, still at school, teenage band called The Cords and she raved about their pure indie pop sound, comparing it Sarah Records, C86, early Pastels and Shop Assistants.

The Cords are Eva on guitar and Grace on drums, two teenage sisters from Inverkip in the West of Scotland, who have quickly gathered support via a couple of shows at Mono (supporting The Vaselines and then Carla) and a couple of in-house shows at The Rig Arts Centre.

My heart melted when I caught The Cords live. Warm guitar chords with limited/no effects, beautifully pure melodies and beats, playful hooks and a sibling chemistry easily won me and the Mono crowd over. Afterwards, it was great to see kids and adults supporting the band by buying up their pin badges and homemade bracelets. My youngest daughter Rosie and her friend Emily were in the front row and they proudly wore Cords pin badges to school the next day. 

I love that The Cords proudly declare their love for 80's and 90's DIY indie pop and that it is inspiring them to do it themselves. And I love that they have the confidence to put up a live bootleg recording of their first proper gig (supporting Frances and Eugene from The Vaselines) at Mono. This is true teenage angst delivered in a beautifully raw, honest and pure garage guitar pop style.

The Cords - live at Mono 14/09/23

The Cords are definitely a band to watch out for over the next couple of years. It's still very early days for the duo, but I dropped them a message via Carla to ask a few questions for the blog and Eva kindly took the time to answer them.

When and how did you form?

My sister and I have both been drumming since we were 6-years old and our drum tutor Lesley McLaren started Rock school at Rig Arts to give teens the chance to form bands and be given guidance so we jumped at the chance to be involved! 

I had started teaching myself guitar and Grace decided to learn bass. I hadn't even thought about singing or songwriting at this point but after meeting Carla she really inspired me to start writing. Keiran Savage (master of all things guitar) was a great help and gave us so much encouragement. Within the first few months we had written and learned 2 songs and learned The Pastels Check My Heart to perform at the first Gig@Rig. From there we carried on writing more and more and started an Insta account which gathered a great following @the.cords_band

Do you both write your songs?

I mostly write but Grace helps with ideas and she wrote Weird Feeling alone. Grace comes up with the drum parts but we mostly work together on everything.

Do you have any plans to record at present? Or are you taking your time?

We are very very excited to be going into the studio to record with Simon (Poster Paints/Frightened Rabbit) and Jonny (Chvrches) this month!

You've already played 2 shows at Mono. What do you enjoy about playing live?

We really love playing live as it's so much fun and we love that people come to see us and even the little ones when we supported Carla at her all ages album launch as it doesn't happen that often. They were dancing and enjoying the music which was brilliant. We just love Mono, it's our favourite so to have played 2 gigs there already is incredible!

Did you receive any words of encouragement from The Vaselines?

They said they enjoyed our set and we got a hug from Frances after the set. Their set was amazing and we never imagined that we would support The Vaselines never mind our 1st big gig!

What music are you enjoying listening to at the moment?

Anything Rose Melberg for me is a winner and she is such an inspiration to me. Also The Umbrellas can do no wrong as they are my favourite band. Grace loves The Cure, Slowdive, and My Bloody Valentine, she's a wee shoegazer. We both love most of the same music and both loving Seablite just now.

Any plans for 2024 or are you taking your time?

We do have very exciting plans for 2024 but you'll just need to keep following to find out more!